China: Results of English learning speak for themselves

[Francis Hult]

China Daily

 

Results of English learning speak for themselves

 

The faces of a boy and girl from a famous children's book are showing up on a variety of fanfare.

 

But the popular characters whose mugs adorn a growing number of T-shirts, schoolbags and stationary are not from any best-selling novel or comic series - rather, the lovable lad and lass hail from the 1990 edition of the national High School English Textbook.

 

It seems a fad anchored in nostalgia. Surely, the lives of Li Lei, the boy, and Han Meimei, the girl, are not nearly as exciting as those of Harry Potter and his pals, whose shenanigans at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry proffer white-knuckled, edge-of-the-seat adventure.

 

But they have become icons emblazed in the collective memory of China's 20-somethings who have studied English all their lives, starting with the exploits of Li and Han. Some 6 million students, who started high school between 1993 and 2000, are all too familiar with the doings of these youngsters, as portrayed in a colorfully illustrated series.

 

Full story:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-08/05/content_6904353.htm

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